Matias' POV:
This is not how I wanted to start my day; why are Omegas so damn clumsy when they're in a room with Alphas? If they're nervous around us, they should just stay out or go to the locations that only welcome Omegas, Betas, and humans. Not one of the public places where they'll panic and spill coffee all over me!
I'm still glaring at the brat, and he doesn't even look sorry!
"Aren't you going to apologize?" I ask, and he just raises an eyebrow.
"Last I checked, you snuck up on me while I was putting sugar in my coffee and ordered me to move, which surprised me, and then you scowled when I jumped and ran into you. So, if anything, shouldn't you be apologizing to me?" he asks, handing me a napkin. "I said it was an accident, and had you asked me nicely to move, I would have felt bad if I spilled anything on you. However, Alphas going around ordering people and jump scaring them isn't a recipe for success."
I scowl. "I have places to be and now I have to go home and change my shirt!" I nearly shout, getting the attention of others in the room.
"Woah, inside voices," the Omega says, and I can see that he's almost laughing! "Yelling at me isn't going to get you a new shirt. Do you want five bucks for a new coffee?"
This entire interaction has felt so condescending and frustrating that I just growl once more and stomp out of the cafe. Of course he's not sorry; no one ever can take responsibility for what they do.
If one Alpha ordering him around makes him jump then why is he even in one of the places where we are? In order to get to the damn meeting on time, I have to jog back to my apartment and get a new shirt, then I have to get a taxi instead of taking the subway because there's no way the trains will be in my favor today.
The meeting thankfully hasn't started, so I sign in on the sheet and sit down on one of the plastic chairs. I would have never gone to these meetings three years ago when Cody first died, but being alone and grieving can really take a toll and pushed me to try to heal. If not for me, then for him.
This meeting is put on by a pairing of a human and a Beta, which would be a weird pairing in most cases, but it's the result of an original mate's death. The Beta, Patrick, lost his first mate years ago and then ended up with a human. They put on these little meetings to help wolves who have lost their mates, whether it be rejection, death, or whatever because we have a different connection to our mates than humans do to their partners.
The meeting starts and Patrick and his now-mate, (or wife, since she's human?) Natalia, introduce themselves and we're only a few minutes through introductions when my attention is drawn by one of the wolves introducing himself.
"My name is Everest, I'm twenty two years old, and I'm here because my mate rejected me due to my infertility," the Omega who ran into me this morning says.
My heart aches at that; my Cody was infertile as well.
The Omega, Everest, is not as cocky as earlier; he delivers all of his introduction in a detached, cold voice. His chair is three away from mine, and he looks around the room, not stopping at all when he passes over me. Almost as if he's so detached that he doesn't even recognize me as the guy who he spilled hot coffee on this morning.
They continue to go around until they get to me. This has always been my least favorite part of the meetings, as we always have to reintroduce ourselves and admitting that my mate is dead hurts every time.
"My name is Matias, I'm twenty five, and I'm here because my mate was- he passed away," I say, just barely catching myself.
I look over at Everest and he makes eye contact with me. Most Omegas would have looked away, as they do not enjoy making eye contact with me, or any Alpha, but he doesn't seem to care. There's a cold, calculating aspect to his eyes and it feels like he's trying to see through me.
"We thank you all for being here," Patrick says, smiling softly. "It's a big step to take, especially for werewolves, to acknowledge that you are without a mate, whatever the reason may be. So, this is a big step for you and it's a good one to take on the path to healing. It won't be easy, as the soulmate connection we as wolves make is much more primal than other species and it feels like your world has come crashing down. However, there is more to life, and we are here for guidance. Let's start with a small exercise. Everest, you're new here, so would you like to start?"
Everest sighs. "Sure," he mumbles, but it's clear he doesn't want to.
I have to fight back a chuckle at his irritation. Both of us have lost mates, so I pity him, but it doesn't mean he has to be a brat and not apologize for spilling coffee on people.
"This may be emotional, but everyone in this room has cried or will cry at some point. This is a safe place, alright? And if you're uncomfortable, you're welcome to sit back down."
Everest nods, despite his clear reluctance to participate.
"You said you lost your mate in a way that many would argue is worse than death, as they are still alive. How have you expressed your emotions over this?"
Everest shrugs. "I mean, it happened two years ago and I spent the first year and a half hiding in a hostel for Omegas," he says, still sounding numb and detached. "I didn't really cry or anything, I was kind of just frozen."
"Have you ever screamed about it? Broken anything? Expressed your rage and sadness?"
"I can't really say I'm mad," Everest whispers, which shocks me.
How is he not angry over his mate rejecting him for something like infertility? I'm mad at the guy, and Everest managed to piss me off in the first twenty seconds of interacting with him. I never considered rejecting my mate for his infertility; he was the love of my life.
"I mean, having kids was something he wanted," Everest says. "I couldn't deliver, so he went to find someone who could. It hurts that I wasn't enough, but it's not really as big of a deal as people are making it out to be. I'm only here because the hostel workers told me to try it and they said there were free doughnuts. Though, I think they were lying and I'm hungry and bored. You can go to the next person now."
He's still appearing detached, but I've been lying about being okay for a while now. So, I can tell that he's just trying to move along so he doesn't break down in front of a bunch of people.
"We can move on," Natalia says, moving to a person beside Everest and starts to talk with them.
I look over at Everest and see his hands shaking a bit, but he doesn't break down. In his whole expression, there is nothing but a blank face and a cold wall put up.
When they come to me, I look at Everest and see that he's looking at me and has broken his frozen state to pay attention. He clearly recognizes me now, and I can tell he's nosey and wants to figure me out by taking in my words.
"I have moved to healthier coping mechanisms," I state dryly. "My mate died three years ago and I gave up drinking when my landlord threatened to evict me for noise complaints, but it was a while before I could face what happened. I now see a therapist and I've been trying to get a small side job to be able to have something else to do."
Patrick smiles. "That's a good place to start."
The rest of the meeting follows in a similar fashion, with everyone sharing their coping strategies and how they're trying to break bad habits. A lot of them mention not having any connection to their wolves, and I relate.
I haven't shifted since Cody was murdered.
I couldn't even if I wanted to; from the way Everest's eyes flicked up to the person who mentioned it, I know he's experienced the same thing. A part of me wants to talk to him, but the other is still annoyed.
Theoretically, anyone in the room could understand what I'm feeling, but it feels different with Everest. He has the wall up that I keep up most of the time, and there's something about him that intrigues me.
"This meeting concludes here," Patrick says, before looking pointedly at Everest. "I can make sure there's doughnuts next week."
"Nah, I'll just go back to being a heroine addict," Everest responds, and I honestly cannot tell if he's joking or not. Based on how he looks, I'm going to assume it's a joke, but I can't be positive.
Natalia and Patrick both share a look before concluding the meeting, choosing not to try to tangle with the very unstable Omega. They close everything up and we all get up to leave.
I follow Everest and before we reach the door to the building, I reach out and touch his shoulder.
He turns and raises an eyebrow. "Hi?"
"Uh... I didn't really plan what I wanted to say."
"Bye," he quips, but I increase my grip. "I will bite you, Alpha."
He says Alpha in a degrading, insulting way, but I can't really find it in me to care.
"I'm sure you will. I just wanted to talk to you."
"Do you want to follow me to Walmart so I can buy you a damn shirt?" he asks, spitting the words out rather aggressively. "Look, if I don't get back to the hostel before ten, they lock the doors and I have to call the night watcher to let me in and he's kind of a dick about it, so either tell me what you want or leave me alone."
I look at my phone. "It's only one o'clock."
"I'm a slow walker."
"I just... you seem like you get it." I put my hands in my pockets and walk after him. "You know... losing a mate?"
Everest looks back at the room we just left. "So does everyone else in that room. Talk to them."
"Your grief is different!" I call back. "The only one who seems similar to me... I've been going to these meetings for a while and no one has shown the same kind of grief and pain that I feel."
Everest narrows his eyes. "What do you want?"
"Just to talk, I guess."
"Fine."
I'm surprised by his answer. "Oh, uh, cool. Can we go for a mid-day coffee?"
"I can't promise I won't spill it on you," Everest tells me, a smile creeping onto his face. "But I'll try not to."
Comments (5)
See all